Construction Plans for a Flight Simulator Cockpit Shell

One PC and one monitor does not make a flight simulator seem very real. Add a second high-power PC, a few monitors, a yoke, pedals and a joystick and you are much closer to the feel of a real aircraft. Now go a step further and enclose a flight simulator into a cockpit shell, surround yourself with monitors powered by a few PCs and things get interesting…

Nothing beats a fully enclosed cockpit where you are surrounded by monitors and controls and an awesome sound system.

It’s time to build your own flight simulator cockpit shell.

But how?

The 849-Page Cockpit E-Book

After 3 years worth of full-time work I have finally produced an e-book which guides you step-by-step how to build a life-size flight simulator cockpit shell (the external appearance is based on the Cessna 172) but inside, your cockpit can be any aircraft you like.

What does the E-book cost?

EUR 55.00 or the equivalent in US$ or Pounds or Yen

(For the result of 3 years of full-time blood sweat and tears, that’s a really good price!)

Want it?

Is there a cheaper option?

Not sure? Need more details? Read on…

This E-Book provides a step-by-step guide to building the cockpit enclosure for a flight simulator using hundreds of wood parts cut according to clear understandable drawings.
Although the cockpit is designed to fit into a room as small as 2,5m x 4m, it is based on the dimensions of the Cessna 172 and is 1:1 life-size.

The book is a construction manual. You will need to do quite a bit of woodwork, but it’s easy stuff – I have provided you with proper dimensioned drawings for every single part that needs to be cut.

Inside, the cockpit is designed to have the outside view displayed by three 24” monitors mounted at an angle of 120° to each other; and the virtual cockpit instruments’ display using a large 32” monitor below it. An optional 24” monitor can be installed in each door for side external views. These physically extend past your shoulder giving you a side/downwards/slightly-rear view.

While this E-Book is a generic blueprint, you will need to be prepared to make alterations in the design to fit the exact dimensions of your monitors (and whether they are removed from their bezels or not) and also to accommodate the simulator control hardware. In addition to unlimited use of the support website (https://davebritzius.com) and forum, every purchaser of this book is entitled to 2 private hours of my time to assist in this, absolutely free.

Since the entire structure is held together with screws and wood joints, (not glue) you will be able to dismantle and re-assemble the cockpit. It will, no doubt, require a new paint job and windscreen repairs each time you assemble it, though.

What this book is not:

The book does not include any computer hardware recommendations or flight simulation software instructions. I can, however, offer insights, support, configuration instructions even shopping lists etc.

This is not a project for projectors where you look through a window at a projected image (requires a lot of space!). This cockpit uses monitors as windows.

This is not a “full motion simulator” with hydraulic tilting. (Cost!). It is static.

This is not a weekend project – it will take you many hours to build this cockpit.

What does it cost?

Want it?

Alternatively, for much more support information and more detailed step-by-step instructions delivered every week, as well as the E-Book itself, how about a monthly membership subscription? Click here

Still not sure? Read on…

It has taken an enormous amount of time to create the e-book because I wanted to make absolutely sure that it was as easy as possible for you to quickly construct your own cockpit with the assurance that everything would fit properly.

I first created the design using a 3D CAD program.

I then figured out the best place to start and divided up the whole construction job into discreet “steps”. I created the dimensioned drawings for each part of that step, and, using those drawings, I immediately cut the wooden pieces in my little home workshop.

Example Page: Simple dimensioned drawing of a wood part, easily cut. Nearly all the dimensioned drawings have a 3D rendering of the part for clarity.

Example Page: Small wood piece with dovetail joint, cut as described in the text.

It is very inefficient to design a part, then make it, and when there are enough, fit them together, but it ensures that every dimension that I required to cut the piece was there on the drawing and that no critical dimension had been left out.

A more complex part is often represented by more than one drawing

Once the parts for a “step” had been cut, I assembled them, and immediately created the assembly diagrams. After photographing the completed “step”, the cycle began again …

Example Page: Exploded group of partsExample Page: A stage photo at the end of a step

Since the E-book was written side-by-side with the construction of the cockpit, you can be sure that it is error-free and absolutely possible for anyone who has a small amount of woodworking knowledge and is handy with basic tools. But, you may ask, what if I’m not a woodworker – what now? If you are not a woodworking master craftsman, that’s OK – you can mostly get away with cutting errors as large as a whole millimetre! If you are not a woodworking hobbyist at all, simply take all the dimensioned drawings to a professional wood-shop and they will cut them for you, or, to get it done even cheaper, locate an amateur woodworker in your neighbourhood who will cut the pieces for you over a period of time.

Contact Dave Britzius

A more Realistic Flight Simulator

One PC and one monitor does not make a flight simulator seem very real. Add a second high-power PC, a few monitors, a yoke, pedals and joystick and you are much closer to the feel of a real aircraft. Now go a step further and enclose a flight simulator into a cockpit shell, surround yourself with monitors powered by a few PCs and things get interesting… Now if you want help setting all this lot up, contact me:Dave BritziusCape Town, South Africa:
Office Telephone: +27 21 558 7076
Mobile: +27 83 270 7787or much better, click here to e-mail me

Build your own Flight Simulator Cockpit?

Flight simulation is fun on a single PC, but a flight simulator cockpit can improve the experience immensely. If you are serious about virtual flying, studying for your pilot’s licence, or maintaining your PPL proficiency, you really want to consider a built-up cockpit. Take a look at my E-Book containing full instructions (many hundreds of pages) of how to build your own flight simulator cockpit. It will require basic woodworking skills and a room big enough (to get the right immersion, it has to be life-sized).